Spherical type insulated container for liquefied gases



J. 0. JACKSON SPHERICAL TYPE INSULATED CONTAINER FOR LIQUEFIED GASESFiled June 4, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 J. o. JACKSON 2, 6,195 SPHERICALTYPE INSULATED CONTAINER FOR LIQUEFIED GASES Dec, 14, 1948.

3 Sheets-Shoat I 2 Filed June 4. 1947 SPHERICAL TYPE msumwnn cdriiuusnFOR mousr'mn GASES Filed June 4, 1947 J. O. JACKSON Dec. 14, 1948.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 enema use. 14, 1948 armament TYPE rivsvm'ran CONTAINERFOR uonarrsn oases James Jackson, Craiton, Pa., assignor toPittsburgh-Des Moines Company, a corporation of Pennsylvania ApplicationJune 4, 1947, Serial No. 752,517

12 Claims. (Cl. .62-1) This invention relates to insulated tanks orcontainers and more particularly to doublewalled insulated tanks orcontainers for storing,

at about atmospheric pressure, relatively great quantities of liquefiedgas such as liquefied natural gas. a

An object of this invention is to produce an insulated container capableof safely and economically storing (or long periods a relatively greatquantity of liquefied gas such as liquefied natural gas.

Liquefied natural gas at atmospheric pressure has a temperature farbelow F. (actually about -258 F.) and is subject to some evaporation andanother object of this invention is to produce means that will safelyand economically take care of the gas resulting from evaporation oi" aliquefied gas such as liquefied natural gas stored in an insulatedcontainer of relatively great size.

These and other objects I attain by means of the structure described inthe specification and illustrated in'the drawings accompanying andforming part of this application.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of an insulated tank or containerembodying this invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the container of Fig. 1 taken at rightangles to the view of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmental view of the upper part of the ventconduit of the tank or container shown in Figs. 1 and 2:' and Fig. 4 isa view similar to Fig. 3, but illustrates a modified way of constructingthe vent conduit.

The container of this invention comprises inner and outer spaced apartspherical type metal shells. The outer shell which is numbered 5, issupported above the ground by spaced columns or column-like members 6which are secured to the outer shell and are supported by foundationmembers i.

I preferably utilize rolled structural members for columns 6 and trimthe upper portions oi these members to conform to the curvature oi theouter shell so that they canbe readily welded to such shell. Inner shell8 is preferably supported from the outer shell by an insulating cradle 8formed of material such as corkboard. The space between the shells maybe evacuated and above cradle 9 may be filled with finely dividedinsulating material such as granulated cork. If desired, theoutersurface of the inner shell may be given a mirror-like finish.

In order to allow the gas, due to evaporation within the container, tocontinuously pass out of the container, 1 provide a vent conduit Hi.This can either comprise telescopically arranged parts as shown in Figs.2 and 3 or can comprise a single tube II as shown in Fig. 4. Ofwhichever construction, the vent conduit extends vertically at thecenter of the container. It passes through the lower polar saucer i2 ofthe inner shell 8 and is welded to such saucer to form a fluid-tightjoint therewith.

The upper part Illa of conduit I 0 is provided with inlet openings I 3.Upper part Illa is welded to the inner shell as at H in a fluid-tightmanner and extends upwardly well beyond the top of outer shell 5. Outershell 5 at its upper polar region is provided with an annular metallicmember i5 which is preferably somewhat thinner than the main part of theouter shell and serves as a flexible diaphragm. Theinner peripheral edgeis oi this diaphragm is spaced from conduit extension I011. and anupwardly tapered hoodlike member H which surrounds such extension, hasits lower edge secured to diaphragm l5 adjacent its peripheral edge byweld metal l8. A top or cover 9 for hood-like member I! is welded to thehood. as at 20, and to extension Illa as at 2|.

This top is annular as shown in the drawings and supports an uprightpipe 22 which carries a cross pipe 28. The opposite ends of cross pipe23 carry vacuum and pressure relief devices numbered 24-24 and 25-25respectively, which connect with the interior of the inner shell 8through pipes 22 and 23 and extension Illa of conduit I0.

Devices 24-24 can take the form 01' rupture disks, while devices 25-25can take the form of spring-loaded pressure relief devices. A pipe 28which extends through saucer i2 and is welded thereto in a fluid-tightmanner, serves both as the inlet and discharge pipe for the liquefiedgas. Conduit I0 and pipe 28 extend downwardly through an opening inouter shell 5, out 'of contact with such outer shell and, making rightangled turns, extend through and beyond the end of a boot 2! which ispreferably formed of metal and is welded to outer shell 5.

The horizontal portions of vent conduit Ill and outlet pipes 28 bothlocated within boot 2! are arranged side by side in heat transferringrelation and are insulated from the boot by finely divided insulatingmaterial such as granulated cork.

Boot 21 is supported by means of supports 28-28 which are mounted onsuitable foundations as shown and are secured to the boot adjacent itsends.

A similar boot, operatin: in a similar manner, but of slightly diflerentconstruction, is disclosed in my Patent 2,388,958 of October 16, 1945.

The upper hall of outer shell 8 is spaced further away from inner shell8 than the lower half; such spacing increasing from the mid section ofthe container to the top thereof. This DX'OVldt 1 extra insulation forthe upper part of the container, which is desirable since the upper partof the outer shell, when subjected to the sun's ray will absorb moreheat than the lower part.

In Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, diaphragm i5 is showi as it will appear whenthe tank or container is serving as a reservoir for storing liquefiedgas. At such time, the diameter of inner shell 8 and the length ofconduit l0, including its extension 100., are reduced, thus flexingdiaphragm from the position shown by dot and dash lines 30 in Fig. 3 tothe full line position of Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive. At the same time, hoodH with its top l9 has been moved down from dot and dash line position 29to the full line position of said figures.

This application is filed as a continuation-inpart 01 my copendingapplication Serial No. 435,749, filed March 21, 1942, now abandoned.

What I claim is:

l. A container for storing a relatively great quantity oi liquefied gas,comprising inner and outer spaced apart metallic shells, a vent-gasconduit communicating with the interior of the inner shell adjacent itstop, extending through and beyond openings in the top and bottom of suchinner shell and to a distance beyond the top and bottom of the outershell and being secured in a fluidtight manner to the top and bottom ofthe inner shell; the upper polar region of the outer shell being'formedas an annular metallic diaphragm which surrounds and has its innerperipheral edge spaced irom such conduit and which is capable of beingflexed toward and from the common center of such shells, and a hood-likemember having its lower edge secured to such diaphragm adjacent itsinner peripheral edge and its top secured to the upper end of suchconduit, and vacuum and pressure relief devices carried by such hood-,

that portion of such conduit between its upper end and the top of theinner shell is reduced, such annular diaphragm will flex to accommodatesuch reduction.

2. Astructure as defined in claim 1, in which the shells are sphericaland the vent-gas conduit embraces the vertical axis of the container.

3. A structure as defined in claim- 1, in which the space between theinner and outer shells is substantially filled with insulating material.

4. A structure as defined in claim 1, in which the space between theinner and outer shells is evacuated.

5. A structure as defined in claim 1, in which '4' 6. A structure asdefined in claim 1, in which the outer shell is supported above theground and the inner shell is supported by insulating materlal carriedby such outer shell.

structure as defined in claim 1, in which the distance between the innerand outer shells is greater above the horizontal center of the containerthan below such center.

8. A structure as defined in claim 1, in which each of the shells aresubstantially spherical and. the distance therebetween increases fromthe horizontal center of the container to the top thereof.

9. A structure as defined in claim 1, in which the1 vent-gas conduit iscontinuous from end to en 10. A structure as defined in claim 1, inwhich the vent-gas conduit is formed in two telescopically arrangedsections.

.11 A structure as defined in claim 1, in which the vent-gas conduit isformed in two telescopically arranged sections with the inlets for ventgas formed in the upper section below the top of the space between theinner and outer shells is evacuated and the outer surface of the innershell has a mirror-like finish the inner shell.

12. In an insulated container of the type utilized for storing liquid ata different temperature from that of the surrounding atmosphere andhaving inner and outer spaced apart metal shells with a boot-likeextension attached to the bottom portion of the outer shell; meanssupporting the outer shell above the ground, means located between theinner and outer shells for supporting the inner shell from the outershell, 2. vertical vaporoutiet conduit having an extension thereofprojecting above the top of the outer shell; said conduit extendingthrough an opening in the top of the inner shell, through the bottom ofthe inner shell to which it is secured and through and out of contactwith the outer shell and into said boot,

a flexible annular diaphragm secured to the top of the outer shelladjacent its center and surrounding and out of contact with said vaporconduit extension, and a hood carried by said diaphragm and surroundingsaid extension and to the upper end portion of which itis secured.

JAlimS 0. JACKSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,517,006 Horton Nov. 25, 19241,755,176 Felmeier Apr. 2 1930 1,979,224 Hansen Oct. 30, 1934 1,935,702Wachowitz Dec. 25, 1934 1,997,808 Blackburn Apr. 16, 1935 2,042,426Klnzel May 26, 1936 2,088,101 Widman et al July 27, 1937 2,198,315Nyberg Apr. 23, 1940 2,244,064 I Hodge June 3, 1941 2,256,673 HansenSept. 23, 1941 2,256,679 Kornemann et al. Sept. 23, 1941 2,271,660

. Norbom Feb. 3, 1942

